Category: Waste Not Want Not

After a couple of days of cooking for company, I was running through the staples at the farm house. My ever faithful peeps, always keep me and mine in the prettiest eggs. Farm fresh eggs are the best. It is a good staple to keep on hand whether you have chicks or not.

Straight from the coop

A quiche or egg pie is a simple breakfast or brunch item to serve. They are great to cook when you have the ingredients and time on your hands. With 1 cup of dirty rice left over and basic ingredients, this pie is a breeze.

Cook pie, cool and then wrap properly and place in the freezer. If your house is like mine, you have house guests coming and going. It helps to have a couple of items in the freezer. Especially as we head into a busy time of year.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a glass pie dish, unroll pie shell and place in middle. Center shell as needed. With fingertips press down on crust in dish. Using your fingertips, pinch the dough and press down on the side to form crust edge. Using a fork, place many holes into the sides and bottom of crust.

Evenly place dirty rice on bottom. Sprinkle grated cheese, green peppers and onions. Add salt to beaten eggs and stir well. Pour over the layered pie ingredients. A fork may be used to level the eggs. Sprinkle on top with cayenne. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden. Allow to rest for a couple of minutes before cutting and serving.

Dirty Rice Quiche

Lagniappe: Serve with a heated salsa on the side. Sprinkle green onions for extra color and flavor.

Lunch Suggestion: Serve with a small salad and its an easy hot meal.

*Dirty rice is a Cajun and Creole dish. Typically white rice cooked with the trinity, chicken livers and heavy on the spice. Due to the lack of fondness for liver, it is usually replaced with ground beef or pork.

This was an expression that was drilled into our heads from my Mother and Grandmother Theda Faye. It is an expression that I can’t imagine that I would ever forget. It has served me well over the years. I am grateful for the lesson that I was taught, to value money and preserve.

In this category on my site, I want to cover the question that we all may ask. How may I use theseleftovers? I find it easier sometimes to re-purpose items than to try eating or serving again to “the man”.